The world community and the International Atomic Energy Agency hailed the landmark Indo-US civil nuclear deal, with major powers including Britain and France saying the agreement would benefit the non-proliferation regime.

China reacted cautiously to the deal clinched during talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W Bush in New Delhi on Thursday, while Pakistan said it had "no objection" to the agreement but sought a similar deal with Washington.

Throwing his weight behind the deal, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said it would have a "net gain for the non-proliferation regime" besides making significant contribution to economic and environmental objectives of India and the international community. He said he looked forward to working closely with the US, India and partners in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and elsewhere on the detail of this "important issue".

French President Jacques Chirac said the deal marked progress both for nuclear non-proliferation controls and for efforts to curb global warming.

Describing India as "a responsible power", he said that it was "indispensable" to ensure that the country has access to civilian nuclear technology to enable it to meet "its immense energy needs, while limiting its emissions of greenhouse gases."

During Chirac's visit to New Delhi recently the two countries signed a declaration expressing their intent to have a civil nuclear cooperation agreement.